S Korea-US Defence cost-sharing talks end without progress

Representatives of the Republic of Korea and the United States failed to make progress in the third round of negotiations on the distribution of defense spending, including the maintenance of American troops in the Asian country.

Report informs citing the TASS that this is stated in the press release of the Foreign Ministry published at the end of the two-day dialogue in Seoul.

"The US side holds the position that the share of the defense cost should increase drastically by establishing a new article (in the cost-sharing deal), while our side maintains the increase should be within the range that is mutually acceptable within the framework of the SMA that the South and the US have agreed on over the last 28 years," the ministry said in the press release.

"In any case, our side plans to do our best to ensure we will take a fair share at a reasonable level that contributes to strengthening the South Korea-US alliance and the combined defence posture," it added.

Notably, last year, the US side announced the need for a significant increase in South Korea’s spending, since maintaining a 28,000-strong contingent there costs Washington about $ 5 billion a year. Seoul’s spending on maintaining the US contingent in 2019 was increased by 8.2%, to 1.04 trillion won ($ 915 million).